Kris Lawrence overcomes fear of Cebuano audience

Would you believe that Kris Lawrence, the grand winner of the newly-concluded Search for a Star in a Million actually feared the Cebuano audience? This Fil-Am R&B singer, regularly seen sporting a Michael Jackson look-a hat with a scarf underneath-said he was "kinda scared" meeting the Cebuanos, whom he believed had their loyalty exclusive to SIAM third placer Jimmy Marquez.

Who would believe that the grand winner of the newly-concluded Search for a Star in a Million actually feared the Cebuano audience?

Well, this was what Kris Lawrence told us when we had a chat with him recently during the Lovapalooza Cebu 2006.

This guy, regularly seen sporting a Michael Jackson look-a hat with a scarf underneath-said he was "kinda scared" meeting the Cebuanos, whom he believed had their exclusive loyalty to their fellow, Jimmy Marquez. Cebuanos could not fault him for thinking such as during the height of the competition many of them, if not all, had their eyes only for Jimmy so much so that when he failed to make it to the top, emerging only as third best despite his all-out performances, rumors spread that it was a "lutong Macao."

Then came out a collective belief that ABS-CBN, which hosted that competition, was grooming Kris to become Jay-R's counterpart. And reasons such as being a gay and a "promdi" (from the province), of which Jimmy was both, were factors against him. Add to that is the fact that Cebuanos could not easily forget what happened to their favorite Sheryn Regis at the SIAM final night during her time.

Truly, Kris has been a subject of numerous scorns since his "unprecedented" victory. Even Cebuano entertainment writers based in Manila had bad things to say about it-that he was not good looking, that his performance that night was not the best, among many others. However, Kris believed that he did his own part and that if they found him unworthy of the judges' decision then it was already the "public's own opinion."

Still, that thought could not stop him from thinking that Cebuanos would manifest their "hatred" to him once he'd meet them eye-to-eye after that competition. And during his recent trip here, it was he himself who had proven himself wrong. "I thought they're gonna say boo when I get to the stage," he said, while laughing at his own mistake. Kris rendered a few songs for the thousands of Cebuanos, who in turn sang with him and applauded everytime he finished a song.

According to him, even if the weather, which was wet throughout the evening, the people watching him "had been very warm."

That reception actually reminded him the first time he was here, when he performed for the Lovapalooza Cebu 2005, with Jay-R, his friend and bandmate when they were in the US. Even if he was yet a "nobody" then, Kris recalled that the audience received him as if he was already a star.

Years after Jay-R made into the Philippine music mainstream Kris followed, but his break came only after he captured the SIAM judges with his R&B performances.

This time, he is onto capturing the hearts of the Filipino music lovers even if his Tagalog is not that good yet. Although he understands Filipino very well as he has been staying in the country for the last five years, he quipped.

Kris was born by an African-American mother and a Filipino dad. This April, this new R&B heartthrob will release his first solo album, which will include two Filipino songs, and another two of his compositions.

According to Kris, he was already feeling "at home" in the Philippines, the very place where he wants to build his career in singing.